Awards season is like a war zone: Lupita Nyong`o

London: Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong`o admits she could not have prepared herself for the red carpet during awards season because it was like a battlefield.

The `12 Years A Slave` star said people tried to warn her about the pressures of awards season, but she did not truly understand what they meant until she had already gone through the intense experience, suggest reports.

"I didn`t really understand what they meant, and it was only once it was past that I realised that my body had been holding on by a thread to get through this very intense experience. Nothing can prepare you for awards season. The red carpet feels like a war zone, except you cannot fly or fight; you just have to stand there and take it," she said.

The 31-year-old actress said she was shocked by how quickly she became famous following her role in the historical drama film last year, which led to her winning an Oscar award.

"It just feels like the entertainment industry exploded into my life. People who seemed so distant all of a sudden were right in front of me and recognising me - before I recognised them!

"For a split second I looked behind me to see who they were flashing at - and it was me! That was, I think, the beginning of the end of my anonymity."